Summary

Plot

Marvin has decided to start a band and he's naming it "Los Perros Frescos!" (Spanish for "The Cool Dogs!"). The group eventually includes electric drums, cello, piano, possibly a saxophone, and a songwriter with a little too much pride. When Marvin’s self-centered tendencies push his fellow members away, he finds himself caught in a one man band. Through a few twists and turns, the band is back together, but Marvin still wants to be the star.

At their first concert, he and Tamika make a separate visit to Wooton (who has agreed to serve as the soundboard operator) to tell him to turn things up on their individual instruments. During the concert, each instrument is turned up louder and louder until the generator blows! In the end, Marvin learns that being true and kind to your friends is far more important than being the center of attention. It can be hard to take suggestions and criticism, but in the end, it is better to be open than completely prideful.

Mentioned in episode

Notes

Trivia

"Los Perros Frescos" actually does mean "the coolest dogs" in Spanish—but not "cool" as in "awesome," rather "cool" as in "cold". It can, as Trent suggests in the episode, also mean "The Fresh Dogs", since "fresco" is both "cool" and "fresh". "The Fresh Pears" translates to "Las Peras Frescas".

Trent references his failure to get into the Chamber Music Society, which occurred in the previous episode—#558: “A Glass Darkly”

Quotes

Trent DeWhite: Marvin, we've been practicing for over five hours today. My string fingers have blisters on top of calluses, and we don't seem to be getting any better. I don't care about the "invisible groove of the soul"; I would be satisfied with anything remotely resembling music!Marvin Washington: ...I think what's going on here is called the "tension of harmony".Trent DeWhite: You made that one up, too!Trent DeWhite: Wooton, why are you filming up my nostrils?Marvin Washington: Use the zoom, Wooton!Marvin Washington: I'm the skeleton. Without the skeleton, your body would just...lie on the ground in a big mess.Trent DeWhite: This means we're going to be humiliated beyond repair! This means that I'm going to have to wear a paper bag over my head at school for the next seven years! And my children will have to change their names! And my children's children! And my children's children's pets!Marvin Washington: Well, by the time the generator was fixed, everybody had kind of moved away from the gazebo. I guess their ears hurt or something. And so we ended up playing our last set for Aubrey and her grandfather. He seemed to like it.Wooton Bassett: Yeah, uh, he had his hearing aid turned down.Tamika Washington: Do you hear that awful noise out there?Wooton Bassett: Oh, that only sounds awful; it's, ah...alternatively gonna sweep the nation!Tamika Washington: Are you serious?Wooton Bassett: Uh, as serious as I am when I say that Marvin is gonna see this tape?Trent DeWhite: Fine, Marvin—you can just humiliate yourself all alone next weekend! I quit!Marvin Washington: You can't quit!Trent DeWhite: See ya! <door closes>Marvin Washington: He'll be back. <door opens> Oh, you're back!Trent DeWhite: I forgot my cello.